Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Standard & Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras: Customer Reviews & Product Details

For a long time I had the 1.8 for use on my XTi, I finally made the move up to full frame and the 50/1.8 somehow did not sit right. I was slowly building up a trinity of fast primes, one wide, one telephoto and one normal and felt that the 50/1.8 lagged behind my 28/1.8 and 85/1.8 so I decided to take the plunge on the 50/1.4... I have never looked back. In general the reviews are right, shot at 1.4 it is not razor sharp, it is acceptable but does not capture jaw dropping detail, so I only shoot at this aperture when I am trying to feed as much light to the sensor as possible, but shot stopped down just a 1/3 of a stop to f1.6, it starts to sing.

On full frame this lens really shines, wide enough to get lots of the subject in, but long and fast enough that the DOF can be used to pick out points of interest or guide the viewers eyes. For full length portraits many people comment on the '3D' quality the images have caused by the out of focus areas in front and behind subjects. I love this lens for travel shots, the combination of wide and fast means you can get inventive with the 'tourist' shot having an out of focus person gazing out over a vista, or their face sharp and the famous landmark being a creamy but recognizable bokeh blur in the background. On a crop frame camera it would be too long for such a shot.

So what does the 50/1.4 give you over the 50/1.8 because that is the main quandary people face. It is noticeably better built, the autofocus is much better, you get that 2/3rd extra stop (which counts for a lot in DOF if not that much in light gathering), the 1.4 is sharper at equivalent f-stops (i.e. the 1.4 is sharper than my 1.8 when both are shot at f2). The con is it is 3-4 times the price.

All in all the proof was in the pudding and I do not regret one bit getting this lens and am very happy with it, if I was still on a crop frame however I am not so sure I would be.

Got a really nice copy. at f/1.4, it is still sharp unlike the others I've seen which is soft. I am happy I got this over the 50mm 1.8. The body of the 1.4 is really well built. Nice solid feeling. I debated on getting this or the 1.8, and decided to get the 1.4 based on its built. Its 3x more, but I think its worthed it. Read too many reviews on the 1.8, the lens just breaks apart after a few use. I picked up a lens hood to protect and reduce flare.

This lens has all the sharpness you could ever ask for all the way down to F2 or so. Makes an excellent portrait lens on your Canon DSLR. Note that with the 1.6x "cropping" associated with most SLR's, this effectively is an 80mm lens. Makes a very nice walkabout lens at a party too, especially when coupled with any of the Canon Speedlite flashes. I recommend getting the lens hood, although the Canon hoods are absurdly expensive.

I love this lens. I can't come up with any complaints. Super Fabulous should sum it up!!!

I have been using the zoom 18-55mm that comes with my canon 350D f 3.5 and with a Sigma 70-300mm apo f 3.5, and the difference it's incredible I really enjoy the posiblities of this lens and quantity of light allow me to take portrait pictures at night without problem. I really recommend this one.